UC Board approves Tuition Guarantee model for new incoming undergraduates

Today’s action by the University of Cincinnati’s Board of Trustees promises to provide continued stability to UC students and their families around educational costs.

The Board voted today to adopt a Tuition Guarantee model that will benefit new, first-year, degree-seeking incoming students as well as transfer students entering the university in Fall 2019. The Tuition Guarantee model does not affect current students.

This new guarantee continues the university’s commitment to affordability, accountability and access – as the university has voluntarily frozen undergraduate tuition for the past four years.

In fact, UC’s Spring 2019 class earning four-year undergraduate degrees (who entered in Fall 2015) have never known a tuition increase throughout their college careers.

Similarly, the incoming, undergraduate class entering in Fall 2019 is now guaranteed a set, established amount for base tuition and some other fees (like room and board). This means that this new undergraduate class will never know an increase in base tuition when completing four- or five-year degrees. (Some undergraduate programs at UC require five years for completion due to the university’s celebrated cooperative education program, by which professional work experience is integrated into students’ academic studies – and thereby earning students a collective $66 million annually.)

According to Caroline Miller, vice provost for enrollment management, “The tuition guarantee program provides predictability for the future on behalf of our students and their families, while we are also protecting opportunity with a continued focus on need- and merit-based financial aid.”

She added, “Students and their parents will have peace of mind when it comes to educational costs, and we know from talking to parents that paying for college takes effective planning. The guarantee reaffirms our commitment to continuing to provide stability and predictability.”

WHY DID UC ADOPT THE TUITION GUARANTEE MODEL AT THIS TIME
Because all but two (UC and Central State University) of Ohio’s public universities have already adopted the Tuition Guarantee model, the university has been evaluating the merits of Tuition Guarantee programs at counterpart universities across the State of Ohio, taking the time to ensure that any recommended plan would align with the university’s guiding principles and values. Notably, the governor’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2020 mandates that all public universities in Ohio offer the Tuition Guarantee model, though the final form of that budget won’t be finalized until this summer.

• See an FAQ on the UC Tuition Guarantee model.

UC SET ROOM/BOARD RATES AT APRIL 23 MEETING; TUITION AND OTHER FEES TO BE SET JUNE 25
At its April 23 meeting, the Board set 2019-20 room and board rates. Many options for campus room and board exist. For instance, in the coming school year, a traditional room with roommates might cost $6,856 per academic year. But other options, including suites, single-occupancy bedrooms and apartment-style living, also exist. 

At its upcoming June 25 meeting, the Board will vote on the overall university budget for the coming 2020 fiscal year (which encompasses the 2019-20 academic year), and that budget will include a recommendation on tuition (also known as the instructional fee) and all other student-related fees.

MORE INFORMATION
Depending on the Board’s June decision on rates, estimated costs around base undergraduate tuition for new, incoming undergraduates are posted online.  This information includes estimated base tuition costs – modeling the maximum increase over current rates – in order to be transparent with our incoming undergraduate students and their families

ADDITIONAL FACTS ABOUT UC
UC’s current enrollment is 45,949. Last year’s incoming first-year class was about 6,800.

Featured image at top: A decorative wall on campus. Photo/Dottie Stover/UC Creative Services